KENNEDY SPACE CENTER — NASA is preparing to protect critical hardware at the Kennedy Space Center from Hurricane Dorian.
- Mobile launcher will be going into Vehicle Assembly Building
- The building can withstand 125-mph winds
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On Friday, the mobile launcher will be brought into the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) for safe keeping during Dorian.
After two months on the launch pad, this morning the mobile launcher will be moved to inside the Vehicle Assembly Building for safe keeping during #HurricaneDorian. @MyNews13 pic.twitter.com/DZP0OLHxny
— Jerry Hume (@JerryHume) August 30, 2019
The crawler transporter was moved out Wednesday to Launch Complex 39B, where the mobile launcher has been undergoing tests, before its first launch on the Space Launch System rocket next year.
NASA developed the moveable launch tower for scenarios just like this, allowing it to be protected in the massive VAB.
As for the VAB, it can withstand winds around 125 miles per hour.
Data from the past two hurricanes to hit the Space Center, Matthew and Irma, saw the building withstand more than 100 mile per hour wind gusts, suffering just minor damage.
For Dorian, the space center is set to close Saturday at 6 pm.
A ride-out team between 100 and 120 people will stay behind at the Launch Control Center, where they will monitor the storm and conduct the initial safety inspection after Dorian passes.
The visitor complex is also shutting down: no special bus tours on Saturday and the entire park will be closed on Sunday and Monday.